Congressional Democrats, in power for the first time in twelve years, quickly passed homeland security measures long stymied by Republicans. Experts give mixed reviews to the proposals, and some Republicans complain about a lack of debate.

President Bush proposes sending 6,000 National Guard troops to the border with Mexico as part of a major speech on immigration reform. Critics say the move is a politically motivated attempt to boost the president's sagging ratings.

Dubai Ports World has agreed to divest itself of its U.S. ports holdings that were the focal point of a firestorm in Congress over the last two weeks. Though the move should calm immediate fears, the larger questions of port security and foreign control of U.S. infrastructure are likely to linger.

The issue of "protecting" vital infrastructure from foreign control—an issue that arose in 2005 during an unsuccessful bid by a Chinese company to purchase an American oil firm—is again in the news. This time, the infrastructure in question is six major U.S. shipping terminals that have been acquired, with U.S. approvel, by a UAE firm. The political backlash at state and city levels is quickly building.

The U.S. Senate is debating punitive immigration measures as the new federal budget proposes heavy investments in "hardening" America's borders. The issue adds fuel to the election-year fire—particularly in the American southwest—as political passions rise.

Edward Alden says that as the United States has for the past two decades pursued securing the nation's borders against illegal immigration, the more serious threat to U.S. national security is that ill-conceived or poorly implemented border controls will do lasting damage to the U.S. economy.

Leading U.S. policy experts have identified energy and climate change as issues vital to economic and national security. CFR's research, meetings, interviews, backgrounders, and interactive content provide an essential source of analysis on these issues.

CFR Experts Guide

The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.

New Council Special Reports

Campbell evaluates the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency and recommends that the United States support Nigerian efforts to address the drivers of Boko Haram, such as poverty and corruption, and to foster stronger ties with Nigerian civil society.

Koblentz argues that the United States should work with other nuclear-armed states to manage threats to nuclear stability in the near term and establish processes for multilateral arms control efforts over the longer term.

The authors argue that it is essential to begin working now to expand and establish rules and norms governing armed drones, thereby creating standards of behavior that other countries will be more likely to follow.

2014 Annual Report

Learn more about CFR’s mission and its work over the past year in the 2014 Annual Report. The Annual Report spotlights new initiatives, high-profile events, and authoritative scholarship from CFR experts, and includes a message from CFR President Richard N. Haass.Read and download »